After the Rain Card

This week continues to be crazy and stormy here in Oklahoma. We had several nights of tornado warnings, with tornados causing damage throughout the state. Too much rain has fallen and the rivers are swelling to the point the dams are releasing water and it's flooding the surrounding land. Some homes have been swept away by rising waters, others have flood damage and the saga isn't over. More rains could compound the issue. Our home is safe for now but if the waters rise more than expected it could affect us. At this point I'm praying the rains stop and the flood waters recede. Additional prayers are welcome!

During the week our local weather teams have worked extra hard to keep us safe and stayed on the air during tornado warnings for hours. I made this After the Rain Card thinking about sending it to our favorite Chief Meteorologist Dan Threlkeld and his team at Channel 8 as a thank you card. The image is called Umbrella Mouse by Bugaboo Stamps and it was colored with Copic markers. All papers are by Authentique from the Refreshed Collection (2018) and some stitching was added for detail. Some Nuvo drops were added to the umbrella and sequins added for sparkle. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Addicted to Stamps: Make Your Mark
• Catch The Bug: Bingo (top row across)
• Color Throwdown: Colors
• Crafty Creations: Anything Goes
• Watercooler Wednesdays: All About Occasions 

You're Purr-fect Card - TMS #485

Welcome to the first Tuesday Morning Sketches challenge of 2019! Many of you may already know that we lost a friend and former design team member Jessi Fogan at the end of December. This week we want to honor Jessi by featuring one of her last sketches. She was an inspiration to me and I always looked forward to her creations with googly eyes and fun stitching. Will you help us remember Jessi by playing along in our challenge this week? Click HERE for all the details and design team inspiration.

It was Jessi who introduced me to Paper Smooches stamps and the idea of using googly eyes on handmade cards. I know the only reason I purchased the Chubby Chums stamp set is because of Jessi's cute creations using the set. Here is a link to one of Jessi's cards using the same image and sentiment from January 19, 2016. Her card along with this weeks sketch was used to inspire this You're Purr-fect Card.

Challenges entered:

• Cute N Crafty: Anything Goes
• International Art & Soul: Cats and/or Dogs
• The Paper Players: Crazy about Critters 

Jessi's Sketch - Tuesday Morning Sketches #485

Hugs and Kisses Card

Hello and happy Thursday! A couple of years ago I bought this Spring Bunnies stamp by Wild Rose Studio because it's darling and I love bunnies. However, I've been hesitant to use it because I didn't think my coloring skills would do it justice. When I saw this weeks sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches I decided now was the time to give it a try. Copic markers were used to color the image with light brown tones for the bunnies: E50, E53, E30 and E95. Other colors were selected to coordinate with the Bo Bunny patterned paper from the Early Bird Collection. To follow the sketch I used my sewing machine for the squiggly element and then I added a gold bow for detail. The sentiment is from the retired Good Greetings stamp set by Stampin' Up! and three rose colored glimmer dots were added, that's it. So glad you stopped by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Hugs and Kisses Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Crafty Cardmakers: All Creatures Great and Small
• Cute Card Thursday: Anything Goes
• Papercraft Challenges: Animals
• Tuesday Morning Sketches: Sketch #469
• Simon Says Stamp: Stamp It... No Digis
• Watercooler Wednesday: Feminine Anything Goes

Owl Just a Note Card

Hello! I hope you're having a lovely day. This afternoon I made this Owl Just a Note Card to add to my stash. After layering the patterned papers by Echo Park (For the Record 2 from 2012) I decided to add some stitching for detail. The Cute Owl image is by Bugaboo Stamps and it was colored with Copic markers. A retired sentiment from Stampin' Up! was used and three glimmer dots added for some sparkle. That's it!

Challenges entered:

• Catch The Bug: Anything Goes
• Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: Anything Goes
• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies: Anything with Critters
• Watercooler Wednesday: Feminine Anything Goes

Hey Birthday Chick Card

Happy Friday! Today kicks off the start to my birthday weekend. So I made this Hey Birthday Chick Card to celebrate. The layout design for this card was inspired by a card I found while searching online for a fun layout and you can see it HERE. I was immediately drawn to the purple and green colors she used, which are my favorites, but I wanted mine to look different. It's been awhile since I got a little fussy with a card, so this one has several layers, stitching and a single flower embellishment. I contemplated several color combinations but decided the pinks and greens looked pretty with the yellow chick from the Hey Birthday Chick stamp set by Unity Stamps. The image was colored with Copic makers and most of the patterned papers are from the Spring Fling paper pad by Pebbles (2015). Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• 2 Crafty Critter Crazies: Anything Goes w/ a Critter
• Always Happy Birthday: Anything Goes w/ Flower Option
• Seize the Birthday: Anything Birthday Goes w/ Number Option
• Sweet Stampers: Birthday
• That's Crafty: Stitching

Here is my red velvet birthday cake from the hubby, he can be sweet sometimes.

Mouse Big Flower Card

When life gets tough as it sometimes does, it's best to take it one day at a time. I love using this sentiment by Verve Stamps. It makes a wonderful card to send a few weeks after a sympathy card. When I was looking through my stash this past weekend I realized I had no cards ready with this sentiment. So, I used one of my favorite Bugaboo images called Mouse Big Flower to create this card.

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Crafty Animals: Anything with Animal
• Crafty Sentiments: Anything Goes
• Tuesday Throwdown: Anything Goes
• Catch The Bug: Bingo (Sentiment, Player's Choice and Stitching)

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Owl Love Card

It's been a long and crazy day around my house! So, to help reduce my stress I made this Owl Love Card. The colors were inspired by the current Pretty in Pink challenge at Inky Paws. Pink isn't a color you see often on my card creations but this time of year it's perfect for Love/Valentine's Day Cards. I thought the cute owls from the What a Hoot stamp set by Newton's Nook were perfect for this card. They were colored with Copic markers and then die cut with the coordinating dies. The sentiment stamp is by Stampendous! To create the pink background Distress Oxide inks in Picked Raspberry and Worn Lipstick were used on mixed media paper. The paper was spritzed with water and then a heat gun was used to dry the wet spots. Picking the patterned paper was the hardest part! The stripes by Doodlebug Designs are subtle and I thought it worked well with the design. Then I decided to add some stitching and the final touch were three clear sequins. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Challenges entered:

• Newton's Inky Paws: Pretty in Pink
• Simon Says Stamp: Patterned Paper
• Southern Girls: Stitching
• 4 Crafty Chicks: No Winter Blues
• Creative Moments: Anything Goes

Happy Together Toucans Card

When the mail arrived today I was thrilled to see my Newton's Nook order!!! Last week when they revealed their new July release I couldn't wait to order the Toucan Party stamp set and coordinating dies. So I immediately went into the house and got inky with my new goodies. This Happy Together Toucans Card was made for the following challenges:

• Newton's Inky Paws: Tropical
• Creative Knockouts: Sew It Up 
• Through The Purple Haze: Anything with Wings

The finished size of the card is 5.25" square. I started by using the Newton's Nook Tropical Leaves Stencil and a piece of retired Pistachio Pudding cardstock by Stampin' Up!. The ink colors include both distress inks and Stampin' Up! classic ink pads in several shades of green. Copic markers were used to color the Toucans, leaves and flower and then the images were die cut. I decided to cut a heart into the middle of the stenciled paper and then added a piece of tumbled glass inked cardstock. A piece of Garden Green cardstock was used as a mat and then I stitched around the edges. Then I dug through the scrap bin to find the right piece of woodgrain paper for a little ledge for the toucan image to sit on. The Be Happy Together sentiment was stamped using Memento black ink and three blue sequins were added for sparkle. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

For more Toucan inspiration visit the Newton's Nook Toucan Party Stamp Set reveal!

Bingo at Catch The Bug

Happy Saturday! I hope you have time this weekend for crafting because we would love for you to play along with the Bingo challenge at Catch The Bug. You'll find all the challenge details and wonderful design team inspiration posted HERE.

For my cards I used the center row down using a Sentiment, Player's Choice and Stitching. I ended up making two cards because I didn't realize the Violet Can digi was retired, so I decided to make a second card using a current image called Cute Owl. The layouts and sentiment are the same but the colors are drastically different. I was in the mood to use purple and that's what prompted me to use the Violet Can digi. Both images were colored with Copic markers and die cut using a stitched circle die by My Favorite Things. The Just A Note sentiment is from the Watercolor Wishes stamp set by Stampin' Up!. Three sequins were added for detail and everything was adhered flat for easy shipping. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a lovely day!

This Violet Can Note Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Daring Cardmakers: Spring Garden
• Pattie's Creations: Shades of Purple in Your Image
• QKR Stampede: Flowers or Anything Goes 

The Cute Owl Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Crafty Catz: Anything Goes with Animal Twist
• Moving Along With The Times: Birds & Feathers

Handmade Easter Cards

When making handmade holiday cards I usually make multiples with the same image and layout but I use different colors and papers. So, they are the same but different. If you follow my blog on a regular basis these images will look familiar. If you are like me, I love seeing the difference color makes, so I have included the links to the previous posts. The card to the left (or above) was first done with purple and yellow (click here). To change things up, this card used patterned paper from the Spring Things paper pad by Doodlebug Designs. The orange and blue are fun and different. I'm always asking my hubby which one he likes better but he's really no help... he says "it's the same just different colors." I'm like "yes!" but which one do you like better. I think he's afraid to give me an answer. This card is entered into the following challenges: Simon Says Stamp - Hip Hop, The Cutie Pie - Bunnies & Chicks and Cute Card Thursday - Easter.

On the cards below I did change one element from the original card (click here). I added the scalloped die cut and stamped the sentiment directly onto the cardstock. This change will help avoid extra postage charges for those raised/bumpy areas. Plus I added some zig zag stitching where the papers join. The papers on these cards came from my scrap bin. The Handmade Easter Card below is entered into the Bugaboo Crafty Challenge. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Happy Easter Card

When it comes to making Easter Cards mine usually feature a rabbit. Although I realize the rabbit has nothing to do with the holiday. It did make me wonder why we use rabbits, chicks and colorful eggs to adorn our Easter Cards, so I did a little digging and found this article from NBC News.

To make this Happy Easter Card I started with the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches. Their sponsor this week is Bugaboo Digi Stamps and since I love using Bugaboo images, I decided to make a quick Easter Card. After searching my images I decided to us EB Eggs Easter Bunny and turn the sketch vertical to accommodate the image. The rest is pretty simple! The patterned paper is from the Spring Things paper pad by Doodlebug Designs and was matted to a piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock. Since my sewing machine was sitting out with yellow thread, I decided to stitch around the edges of the paper. It was then adhered to the white card base. To accent the image a bitty butterfly was added using the Papillon Potpourri stamp set along with the bitty butterfly punch both by Stampin' Up! The Happy Easter sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set by Stampin' Up! along with the word window and modern label punch (both retired). That's it!

This Happy Easter Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Tuesday Morning Sketches: Sketch
• Deep Ocean: Easter
• Little Red Wagon: Egg-cellent (use eggs)

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Embossed Circles Card

In my craft room the heat gun is not getting the love it used to, so I decided to break out the embossing powder and turn that heat gun on high. All the supplies on this card are retired by Stampin' Up!. It's easy to forget about the older supplies but every once in awhile I try to bring out my favorites. For this Embossed Circles Card the Lacy & Lovely stamp set was used for the circles and the sentiment is from Fabulous Four. Since my sewing machine was close by I added stitching around the edge using brown thread. The colors on this card are Tempting Turquoise and Early Espresso. For the finishing touch a large button was stitched on using Whisper White twine and that's it. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This Embossed Circles Card was inspired by the following challenges:

• The Paper Players: Circles
• Simon Says Stamp: Stamp It
• The Crafter's Cafe: Use Two Patterned Papers

All You Need is COFFEE Card

Hello! Inspiration to create a card comes from many different places. This All You Need is COFFEE Card was created for the Barista/Manager at my local Barnes & Noble Cafe. When I was working I stopped by several times a week on my way to work and we would visit. Then I stopped working and rarely stopped by. I was in town yesterday to run a few errands and popped in for my caffeine fix and I was happy she was working. During our visit she mentioned how she was ready for May to arrive because April had been a challenging month. So, I decided on my way home to make her a card to hopefully cheer her up.

To create this card I used the sketch from Paper Play Sketches for the layout. The digital image is called Barista Coffee Brentwood Owl by Jessica Lynn Original, it was colored with Copic markers and die cut with a stitched circle from My Favorite Things. Mr. Brentwood is obviously standing on a hill, when I cut the edge of the circle for the sketch... I didn't catch this detail (maybe I needed more coffee). For the patterned papers I used a piece of kraft with black polka dots from Core-dinations, cream crackle by The Paper Studio and two pieces of scrap paper for the banners. Using Antique Linen distress ink the edges of the papers were inked. The papers were matted to a piece of black cardstock and then stitched with cream thread using a sewing machine. For the All You Need is COFFEE sentiment I used an All You Need is Love stamp by Hampton Arts and masked the word Love and wrote in the word COFFEE. A decorative label punch was used to get the shape around the sentiment. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Paper Play Sketches: Sketch
• Dare 2B Artsy: Polka Dots
• Crafty Gals Corner: Anything Goes 

Handmade Beach Tote Bag

Good evening, tonight I have a special project to share. I made this Handmade Beach Tote Bag for my youngest niece's birthday. I used outdoor fabric and made the bag reversible. The striped side has three large pockets for sunscreen and electronic gadgets.

The finished size is 17" x 18", plenty of room for beach towels and a few of my niece's favorite books. I hope she likes it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day.

Quirky Turkey Card Take Two

Hello! I have one week to get all my Thanksgiving cards done. If I would have know earlier in the year that I would go back to work full-time, I wouldn't have procrastinated. Oh well! I am thankful I have a fun new job and it adds an element of fun to have a short deadline. Earlier in the month I made a Quirky Turkey Thanksgiving Card and at the same time I printed out several images and stamped several sentiments. So, I decided to make another Quirky Turkey Card. The image is by Doodle Pantry and comes pre-colored which works perfectly when time is an issue. The patterned papers are from the Pumpkin Patch and Sweater Weather collections both by DCWV. I kept the layout simple with a center focused design. For detail I did some stitching on the green panel and added some Candy Dots. All in all this was a pretty easy card. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day/night!

This Quirky Turkey Card is entered into the following challenges:

• The Sisterhood of Crafters: Thank-ful
• Crafting by Designs: Give Thanks
• Papertake Weekly: 2 or 4 Legs

Quilt Inspired Feel Better Card

Good evening! It's getting late but once I got started I couldn't stop until my card was done. This Quilt Inspired Feel Better Card was made using the colors and photo inspiration from the Color Throwdown Challenge. I went with a literal interpretation from the quilt photo inspiration. The Stampin' Up! colors I used are:

• Basic Gray
• Lucky Limeade
• Pool Party
• Pacific Point

This was the first time I've used bleach on cardstock. Mainly because I don't buy bleach, but the non-chlorine version didn't fade my cardstock at all.  So, in the pursuit of creativity I made a late night trip to the grocery store. I would love it if you would let me know what you think of the bleached effect?

The focal design for this card was a technique I learned a couple of years ago. However, I haven't used it since and had to dissect my original to figure out how it was made. Here are the directions I followed: Cut two cardstock pieces 2 5/8" square (these will be your matting pieces), cut two patterned paper pieces 2 1/2" square, cut the patterned pieces into square quarters 1 1/4" x 1 1/4". Ink the edges of your pieces and apply adhesive to the backs. Arrange pieces as shown, making sure they will fit onto the backing cardstock squares. To finish the center I used a Martha Stewart punch and a Basic Gray glitter brad.

The Feel Better sentiment from the Sassy Salutations set was heat embossed. Then I added stitching on the border of my card for a little more quilt inspired detail. That's it! Thanks for stopping by.

My card is entered into the following challenges:

• Color Throwdown: Color
• Penny's Paper-Crafty: Stitching, Real or Faux
• Our Daily Bread: Stitch It!

I'm Here for You Card

This morning my youngest kitty woke me up bright and early at 5:30 AM. Once I was awake there was no going back to sleep. After a couple cups of coffee I made my way into my craft room and made this I'm Here for You Card.  I was inspired by a couple of challenges and the kitty image just seemed fitting given the start of my day. The digital image is from Bugaboo Digi Stamps and it's called Garden Cat - Plant Pot and I colored it with my Copic markers. To play along with the Catch The Bug Recipe Challenge I needed to use bling, the color teal and die cuts or punches. So, I dug through my paper stash and found a 6 x 6 paper pad called Collectable "Remarkable" from My Mind's Eye. I really like the colors in this collections. They are a nice transition from summer into fall. Well, tomorrow is Labor Day here in The States and I'm hoping kitty will let me sleep late. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

• Catch The Bug: Recipe
• Robyn's Fetish: Use a Digi 
• Suzy Bee's: Anything Goes
• Sister Act: Anything Goes
• Crafting At The Weekend: Anything Goes

Gold Blossom For You Card

It's a great day here in Oklahoma! I hope everything is wonderful where you live. My afternoon has consisted of laundry and crafting. The card I made today is for the 200th challenge celebration at The Paper Players. There are six challenge options to choose from. I picked the sketch selected by Sandy Mathis. The center panel of my Gold Blossom For You Card was inspired by a card from page 149 of the new Stampin' Up! catalog. A few of the punched circles are adhered to the typeset paper and others are loose so they move around if you shake it. The vellum was then stitched into place. All supplies for this card are by Stampin' Up! with exception to the gold paper, I believe it's by Recollections. The stamp sets used are: Flower Shop and Itty Bitty Banners. The colors are: Basic Black, Lost Lagoon, Real Red and Very Vanilla. For the patterned paper I used the discontinued Modern Medley and the embossing folder is decorative dots. To make the layered flower I used the Blossom and Pansy punches and secured them together with a real red glitter brad. This card was a lot of fun to make! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

My Gold Blossom For You Card is entered into the following challenges:

• The Paper Players: 200th Celebration 
• Crafting From The Heart: Anything Goes
• Love to Create: Anything Goes

Polka-Dot Pieces Card

There are many neglected but wonderful stamp sets in my collection and Polka-Dot Pieces is one of them. I really love it but for some reason I rarely use it. This afternoon I decided to pull this set out and make a card. I used the sketch from Create with Connie and Mary. The colors used are:

• Pool Party
• Cherry Cobbler
• Crushed Curry
• Island Indigo
• Wild Wasabi

All supplies are by Stampin' Up! I used three other stamp sets to create this card and they are: Happy Watercolor, Papillon Potpourri, and Label Love. The final touch was the Whisper White twine and a few rhinestones to add some sparkle. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

My Polka-Dot Pieces Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Create with Connie and Mary: Sketch
• QKR Stampede: Anything Goes
• Sister Act: Anything Goes
• Stempelsonne: Punched Flowers

It's a Thank You Card

It seems I have used several thank you cards lately and my stash was getting low. I like to keep several thank you cards to choose from because I never know what occasion I will need one for. This Thank You Card was created using the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches. The patterned paper is a sneak peek of the new Moonlight paper stack (133701) that will be coming out in the new Stampin' Up! catalog on June 1st. You are also seeing two new colors: Hello Honey and Lost Lagoon. The stamps used on the flowers are from the Petite Petals stamp set by Stampin' Up! and the sentiment stamp is by Stampabilities. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

My Thank You Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Tuesday Morning Sketches: Sketch
• Sweet Stamps: Polka Dots
• My Craft Creations: Anything Goes
• Just Inspirational: Anything Goes